Travel Tip Tuesday #31: Skip the People Movers (and Escalators) to Burn a Few Extra Calories at the Airport

Staying healthy while on a trip can be a challenge at times. It takes concerted effort, consistency and occasionally a little creativity. This week’s Travel Tip Tuesday is about creativity or at least about not being so lazy.

For the month of August we are focusing on Airport Travel Tips and Tricks. Yup, each Tuesday we will do a deep dive into some factor of airport life. Enjoy! By the way, you can read all of the preceding Travel Tip Tuesday’s here.

Travel Tip Tuesday #31 – People Movers and Escalators…avoid ’em if you can

Every airport seems to have innumerable people movers and escalators. But you don’t have to use them! A trick I’ve employed for many years is to simply avoid them and instead take the stairs or walk along side the people movers.

For example, when switching terminals in the Phoenix Airport there are long hallways separated by people movers. If you have the time that lengthy walk is a great way to burn some extra calories. If you have lots of time you can walk back and forth a few times to get your daily steps in.

Same thing applies to escalators – although depending on the amount of luggage you have (or your medical condition/age) it could be impractical. If you happened to have checked your bag and are just rolling with a solo backpack or purse, then the stairs might be a great way to burn some calories while traveling. I see many travelers who intentionally carry their carry-on up/down stairs to get a little extra exercise.

Little things like this start to add up. Maybe you don’t have time to get to the hotel gym, but that long layover in PHX allowed you to burn a few calories and at least salvage the day. I had a boss (sales guy) who used to say “Nickels make dollars” meaning that even small deals where ok. That applies to your health as well. Sometimes, many times, small decisions like this can add up over time and they are simply part of an overall strategy to stay a little healthier while on a trip.